The Château de Sceaux is a grand country house in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, approximately 10 km (6 mi) from the centre of Paris, France. Located in a park laid out by André Le Nôtre, visitors can tour the house, outbuildings and gardens.
The rebuilt Château of Sceaux, 2020
The Petit Château operates as the Musée de l'Île-de-France, a museum of local history. The commune operates the site as Musée du Domaine départemental de Sceaux.
The former château was built for Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV's minister of finance, who purchased the domaine in 1670. The present château, designed to evoke the style of Louis XIII, dates from the Second Empire. Some of Colbert's outbuildings remain, as well as the bones of the garden layout.
The seigneurie of Sceaux appears in 15th century documents, but little remains above ground of the château built for the family Potier de Gesvres in 1597. Colbert turned to some of the premier royal architects and craftsmen to design a seat worthy of his station, the architect brothers Claude and Charles Perrault and Antoine Lepautre, and the premier peintre du roiCharles Le Brun.
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay, son of Colbert and minister of the Navy, inherited Sceaux in 1683. He added sculpture by François Girardon and Antoine Coysevox. His embellishments to the grounds extended the formal terraced layout, the bones of which remain, and excavated the Grand Canal, a kilometre in length, along the valley bottom. Le Nôtre laid out a main axis centered on the château and descending in a series of terraces to the valley bottom, then rising on the far side. The main axis is crossed by two grand secondary axes at right angles, one delineated by the allée de la Duchesse and the formal stone Cascade that flows down to fill an octagonal basin, the other the Grand Canal.
Jules Hardouin-Mansart built the Orangerie, which was inaugurated by the King at a fête in 1685. Sceaux was sold in 1699 to Louis' illegitimate son, the duc du Maine, whose wife, Anne, duchesse du Maine made it the setting for her glittering salon in the first decades of the eighteenth century, which reached its apogee in the Grandes Nuits of 1714–15, sixteen fêtes of music and opera-ballets that unfolded every two weeks and drew the best musicians of France, under the direction of Jean-Joseph Mouret. The salon at Sceaux attracted the young Voltaire. The duchesse du Maine had the pavilion of the Ménagerie built, to designs by Jacques de La Guépière, and gave it a garden setting, to the north of the château; only its foundations remain.
A coloured engraving of Sceaux in the 1740s
Demolition
During the French Revolution the property was confiscated as a bien national, its contents sold for the benefit of the nation, and the building bought by M. Lecomte, a merchant of Saint-Malo. Under the Consulat, the original château was demolished, but the pavilion of Aurore, the Orangerie, the stables, and outbuildings were preserved. Crops were grown on Le Nôtre's terraces.
The restored castle
Facade of the Château de Sceaux
Castle and grounds
The duc de Trévise, son of Napoleon's Maréchal Mortier, who had married the daughter of M. Lecomte, inherited the domaine and set to restoring the park and the pavilion and Orangerie. The gardens were restored, with parterres and gravel largely replaced by clipped lawns. In 1856-62 he erected the present smaller château in brick with stone quoins, designed to evoke the style of Louis XIII, designed by the architect Augustin Théophile Quantinet and built by Joseph-Michel Le Soufaché.
In 1922, the heiress of Trévise, princesse de Faucigny-Cystra, planned to give up Sceaux to real estate developers; through the efforts of the mayor Jean-Baptiste Bergeret de Frouville it was preserved and opened to the public of the town that had grown up around the park.
Museum of Île de France
Since 2010, the Petit Château contains the Musée de l'Île-de-France. This museum contains one of the largest collections of works by painters of the School of Paris.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Château de Sceaux.
château, sceaux, grand, country, house, sceaux, hauts, seine, approximately, from, centre, paris, france, located, park, laid, andré, nôtre, visitors, tour, house, outbuildings, gardens, rebuilt, château, sceaux, 2020, petit, château, operates, musée, Île, fra. The Chateau de Sceaux is a grand country house in Sceaux Hauts de Seine approximately 10 km 6 mi from the centre of Paris France Located in a park laid out by Andre Le Notre visitors can tour the house outbuildings and gardens The rebuilt Chateau of Sceaux 2020 The Petit Chateau operates as the Musee de l Ile de France a museum of local history The commune operates the site as Musee du Domaine departemental de Sceaux The former chateau was built for Jean Baptiste Colbert Louis XIV s minister of finance who purchased the domaine in 1670 The present chateau designed to evoke the style of Louis XIII dates from the Second Empire Some of Colbert s outbuildings remain as well as the bones of the garden layout Contents 1 History 2 Demolition 3 The restored castle 4 Museum of Ile de France 5 ReferencesHistory EditThe seigneurie of Sceaux appears in 15th century documents but little remains above ground of the chateau built for the family Potier de Gesvres in 1597 Colbert turned to some of the premier royal architects and craftsmen to design a seat worthy of his station the architect brothers Claude and Charles Perrault and Antoine Lepautre and the premier peintre du roi Charles Le Brun The parterres at Sceaux engraved by Adam Perelle Jean Baptiste Colbert Marquis de Seignelay son of Colbert and minister of the Navy inherited Sceaux in 1683 He added sculpture by Francois Girardon and Antoine Coysevox His embellishments to the grounds extended the formal terraced layout the bones of which remain and excavated the Grand Canal a kilometre in length along the valley bottom Le Notre laid out a main axis centered on the chateau and descending in a series of terraces to the valley bottom then rising on the far side The main axis is crossed by two grand secondary axes at right angles one delineated by the allee de la Duchesse and the formal stone Cascade that flows down to fill an octagonal basin the other the Grand Canal Jules Hardouin Mansart built the Orangerie which was inaugurated by the King at a fete in 1685 Sceaux was sold in 1699 to Louis illegitimate son the duc du Maine whose wife Anne duchesse du Maine made it the setting for her glittering salon in the first decades of the eighteenth century which reached its apogee in the Grandes Nuits of 1714 15 sixteen fetes of music and opera ballets that unfolded every two weeks and drew the best musicians of France under the direction of Jean Joseph Mouret The salon at Sceaux attracted the young Voltaire The duchesse du Maine had the pavilion of the Menagerie built to designs by Jacques de La Guepiere and gave it a garden setting to the north of the chateau only its foundations remain A coloured engraving of Sceaux in the 1740sDemolition EditDuring the French Revolution the property was confiscated as a bien national its contents sold for the benefit of the nation and the building bought by M Lecomte a merchant of Saint Malo Under the Consulat the original chateau was demolished but the pavilion of Aurore the Orangerie the stables and outbuildings were preserved Crops were grown on Le Notre s terraces The restored castle Edit Facade of the Chateau de Sceaux Castle and grounds The duc de Trevise son of Napoleon s Marechal Mortier who had married the daughter of M Lecomte inherited the domaine and set to restoring the park and the pavilion and Orangerie The gardens were restored with parterres and gravel largely replaced by clipped lawns In 1856 62 he erected the present smaller chateau in brick with stone quoins designed to evoke the style of Louis XIII designed by the architect Augustin Theophile Quantinet and built by Joseph Michel Le Soufache In 1922 the heiress of Trevise princesse de Faucigny Cystra planned to give up Sceaux to real estate developers through the efforts of the mayor Jean Baptiste Bergeret de Frouville it was preserved and opened to the public of the town that had grown up around the park Museum of Ile de France EditSince 2010 the Petit Chateau contains the Musee de l Ile de France This museum contains one of the largest collections of works by painters of the School of Paris References Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chateau de Sceaux Musee du Domaine departemental de SceauxCoordinates 48 46 28 N 2 18 00 E 48 77444 N 2 30000 E 48 77444 2 30000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chateau de Sceaux amp oldid 1100108567, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
